NEWS FROM THE ALMR Expert Insights
The recent publication of the London Plan is positive news for venues in the capital. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has made it clear that he wants the capital to become one of the world’s great 24-hour cities and pubs, bars, nightclubs, restaurants and music venues are at the heart of his vision to deliver this.
I am currently a member of London’s Night Time Commission, a body that meets quarterly, working alongside London Night Czar Amy Lamé, and with licensing barrister Philip Kolvin QC. I represent licensed venues on the Commission and our aim is to deliver a plan for the night-time in London that aids a range of stakeholders. This includes late- night businesses, local authorities, residents, transport and daytime businesses that will be affected. Last month we met to present evidence on the beneficial contribution being made by the evening and night-time economy.
Our ability to make such a strong case for pubs, nightclubs and music venues, is one of the reasons that these businesses have been highlighted as part of the London Plan. There is strong direction to local authorities to ensure that there are provisions and protections for hospitality businesses to meet local residents needs. A great win for the sector is the inclusion in the Plan of the Agent of Change principle - something the
ALMR has been lobbying for - that will help to protect existing venues and ensure robust protection for future clubs and bars.
The London Mayor has declared himself to be a champion of the city’s bars and nightclubs, and his recent work is showing this to be the case. We have seen the introduction of the Night Tube service at weekends and he has also moved to protect pubs, music venues and LGBT+ venues.
The aim of the Mayor’s Office is to promote culture and leisure; increase opening hours; ensure safety for residents, visitors and workers; and to work closely with local authorities and the police to ensure a balance in the night-time economy that is sustainable.
The Night Time Commission is at the heart of these plans and will be working closely with the Night Czar to ensure that venues have a strong champion that places their interests at the forefront of long term plans for the city.
ALMR WELCOMES SUPPORT FOR THE SECTOR IN BUDGET STATEMENT
The ALMR has welcomed support outlined in the Budget Statement on alcohol duty and business rates and urged the Government to follow this good work with continued reform of business rates to help support the UK’s valuable eating and drinking out sector.
ALMR Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: “At a time of rising costs, a freeze in the beer duty and a continuation of support for pubs on business rates is very welcome.
“The ALMR has been pushing for a duty freeze across all alcohol types, and this positive action will help tackle rising costs, saving the sector around £116 million, as well as underpinning consumer confidence.
“An extension of the pub-specific rates relief will save the sector almost £20 million, and bringing forward the move from RPI to CPI to calculate bills, something the ALMR has pushed for, will save close to £100 million over four years.
“The promise of more frequent revaluations is also
welcome and something the ALMR has lobbied for, although we are concerned that, in practice, there may be some administrative burdens which will need to be addressed.
“It is also good to see the Government accepting the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission on the rate of the National Living Wage, de-politicising the decision. Although this may present a modest financial burden for employers it will also put money in the pockets of our customers.
“This shows that the Government has listened to the concerns of the sector, the concerns of ALMR members, and acted to support vital hospitality businesses at a time of economic and political instability. The ALMR has worked hard to communicate the pressures being faced by eating and drinking out businesses and it is good to see the Chancellor acknowledging these challenges and listening to what businesses have to say.”
“The next step is for the Government to push ahead with its promised package of root and
branch reform for business rates, and the ALMR is looking forward to working closely with the Government to deliver change.
The British Institute of Innkeeping has jointly welcomed further support for pubs on business rates.
BII Chief Executive Mike Clist added: “We welcome the fact that Government has listened to the call to help pubs in what is a very competitive marketplace.
“Moving the annual inflation of rateable values from RPI to CPI, continuing the £1,000 rate relief policy for a further year and moving the revaluation of properties to 3 yearly will all help. We do however still believe the rating system needs a complete overhaul and we will continue to lobby for this.
“No increases in drinks duty will hopefully encourage customers to continue to use our great British pubs.”
Kate Nicholls ALMR Chief Executive
DROP IN EMPLOYMENT UNDERLINES NEED FOR SECTOR SUPPORT
The ALMR has reacted to the shock news that job creation in the sector has fallen, by calling on the Government to take action to support eating and drinking out businesses.
Figures released show employment in the sector dropped by almost 25,000, or 1.4%, in the latest quarter.
ALMR Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said:
“The eating and drinking out sector has been a fantastic generator of jobs in recent years, employing 1.8m people, one in every six created, since 2009.
“This shock drop in the number of jobs created in the last quarter shows that eating and drinking out businesses are approaching a crucial tipping point and proactive support from the Government is needed without delay.
“The figures show the strength and importance of the sector, employing nearly 1.8 million people – 7% of the private sector workforce – but this drop in employment shows that even a very robust sector is not immune to huge financial pressures.”
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